A jam-packed night of basketball is in store for Wednesday with 10 games scheduled across the National Basketball Association. From an intriguing ESPN doubleheader to the massive division showdown between the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers, there is a whole lot to look forward to on tonight’s card. Basketball Insiders takes a look at the best NBA player props and free picks for the January 26th NBA betting slate. Odds for the picks can be found at Bovada Sportsbook.
Best NBA Player Props and Free Picks for Tonight, 1/26
Chris Duarte Under 3.5 Assists (-120)
The Indiana Pacers are currently playing without three of their five starters in Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. As a result, the opportunity has been there for reserve players young and old (shoutout Lance Stephenson) to make an impact. After returning from his own stint on the sidelines, rookie Chris Duarte has been putting up very solid statistical contributions. While Duarte has finished with no fewer than three assists in any of the last five games, he has only actually exceeded tonight’s NBA betting total of 3.5 helpers twice.
Even with Brogdon out, Duarte is not the primary ball-handler/point guard for the Pacers. That role is being filled by veteran Caris LeVert. thus, while the absences and increased minutes have enabled Duarte to regularly surpass his season average of 2.3 assists per game, the upside remains somewhat limited. Even with the added juice required, bettors can net solid value by playing under on Duarte’s assist prop tonight.
Bam Adebayo Under 4.5 Assists (-160)
With Miami’s leading distributor in point guard Kyle Lowry remaining sidelined for personal reasons, other players have had to offer more in the passing game. Bam Adebayo has been no exception to this trend, dishing at least four assists in three of the four games since returning from thumb surgery. His five helpers in each of the last two games were nearly two full assists more than the 3.3 he has averaged this season.
While Adebayo did average over five assists in each of the last two years, he would essentially need to hit his ceiling as a passer to go over tonight’s NBA player props total of 4.5. Against a Knicks team that ranks top-10 in defensive efficiency, that doesn’t figure to be easily accomplished. Both New York and Miami also rank among the slowest teams in terms of pace in the NBA this season. Fewer possessions will lead to fewer assist opportunities overall regardless of who else is on the floor.
Bojan Bogdanovic Under 5.5 Rebounds (-120)
Tonight’s game marks the second straight meeting between the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. The first time around, the Jazz were a shell of themselves. While star center Rudy Gobert will again be held out of tonight’s contest, Bojan Bogdanovic is among the Utah players who will return to action. In the three games prior to missing Monday night, Bogdanovic finished with at least five rebounds in each and twice exceeded tonight’s NBA player props total of 5.5 boards.
With Gobert out, other Jazz players will again be counted upon to contribute on the glass. However, the difference this time around is that Hassan Whiteside is back in the lineup. Thus, it is unlikely that Bogdanovic replicates the eight-rebound performance he had on Sunday when Utah was without both of their top centers. Some sportsbooks are even listing Bogdanovic’s rebounding prop one notch lower at 4.5. That mark is much closer to his per-game average of 4.2 boards on the season. Whiteside’s return makes it unlikely that the Croatian will outperform his season average by nearly two full rebounds.
All NBA player props betting lines were retrieved from Bovada.
